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5 More Tips to Help You Choose the Perfect Florida Venue

We recently posted 5 Tips to Choosing the Perfect Florida Venue. Here are 5 more that are just as important. Make sure you take these into consideration when planning your Florida wedding or corporate event. They are key to making sure your event is a smashing success!

1. Space for Ceremony, Cocktail Hour and Reception

This wedding reception at the Cruz Building creates a sophisticated ambience by combining the venue setting with rich table settings. Photo by Domino Arts Photography.

Whether you’re having a corporate awards ceremony, or a wedding ceremony, consider whether your venue has separate areas that can easily serve different purposes. Is there a picturesque location for the ceremony? Is there room for a band and/or dancing? Is there a place for grand entrances and beautiful pictures? Does it include a built-in bar area, or does your caterer need to set up a bar area? Does the venue provide a sound system with adequate speakers in the areas you’d like to have dancing or presentations, or will that need to be rented? For many occasions, having the ceremony, cocktails and reception in one place is ideal as your guests may be from out of town or state, and aren’t familiar with the area. It also eliminates time your guests have to drive between multiple locations.

2. Choosing Your Own Caterer and Wedding Planner

Many venues require you to use an in-house caterer, cake and event coordinator. If you choose one of these venues, make sure that you like the menu and food and the Event Coordinator, as much as you like the venue itself. One way to search for a caterer and Event Coordinator is through websites such as TheKnot.com or WeddingWire.com that provide information on their services as well as reviews from previous customers. For a truly unique event with your own special touches, choose a venue that allows you to bring in your own caterer and other vendors. For instance, you may want your menu to reflect your event’s special theme or your heritage.

3. Smoking Areas

There’s a good chance that a percentage of your guests will be smokers. To avoid your guests having to search for smoking areas, which may sometimes lead them away from the festivities, down elevators and outside the hotel or venue, you may want to choose the convenience of a venue with an outdoor area that offers you the choice of allowing smoking in designated areas.

4. Number of Bathrooms

Make sure that your chosen venue has the appropriate number of bathrooms located in a convenient location where your guests don’t have to stray too far from your event, with bathroom attendants if possible. While historic locations may sometimes seem romantic, they often do not have adequate bathroom facilities for large events. There’s nothing more uncomfortable during an event than standing in line to use the facilities.

5. Private Changing Room for Guest of Honor

Planning an event can be stressful, so it’s important that the guest of honor, bride, VIP guest, birthday girl, etc. have a place to relax, unwind and prepare for their grand entrance, private wardrobe changes or make-up touch-ups. Is there a space for the bride and groom to change and/or relax? For larger events, is there a place for entertainers to prepare and store their equipment before they perform? Hotels many times will offer the renter a room in the hotel for this purpose. While not common, many private venues offer you a private Bridal Suite or room for this purpose, which can well be worth it.